Aaron Boone is not giving up on Camilo Doval. Not yet, anyway. The Yankees manager doubled down on his struggling reliever this week, saying he thinks Doval can get back to the guy who made an All-Star team in 2023. The numbers tell a different story.
Doval has a 4.81 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP across 38 appearances for New York. Those are not closer numbers. Those are not even reliable middle-relief numbers. But Boone sees something else.
“Yes, and the reason I think so is because physically all the attributes are there and the stuff is all there,” Boone told The Athletic. “(They) are in line with who he was when he has been at his very best.”
It’s a nice sentiment. But the Yankees are in a bad spot right now, and blind faith in a guy who hasn’t thrown like an All-Star since he was one might not be the move.
The bigger problem in the Bronx
Let’s be real: Doval is not the only thing going wrong. The Yankees just went through a seven-game losing streak. They snapped it, then lost again on July 4 to the Minnesota Twins. The offense went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position in that loss. Judge is out with injured ribs. Without him, the lineup looks different.
Boone defended a big spot decision after that game. “I’m going to take Goldy against the lefty with two outs and the bases loaded. It was a shot to grab the game,” he said, per MLB.com. It didn’t work.
The pitching staff is banged up. Starters haven’t been consistent. The bullpen blew one on Independence Day. None of this looks like a team that was running away with the AL East a few weeks ago. They were the best team in the league. Now they’re 49-39 and have dropped eight of their last 10.
That’s not a blip. That’s a trend.
New York plays Minnesota again on Sunday. They need a win. They need Judge back. And maybe they need to figure out whether Camilo Doval is part of the solution or just another piece of a problem that’s getting harder to ignore.
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